


Catch You in the Drift

by calvinahobbes



Category: Hamilton - Miranda, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Pacific Rim Fusion, Drift Compatibility, M/M, Mind Meld
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:48:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calvinahobbes/pseuds/calvinahobbes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How does a bastard, orphan grow up to be a hero and a... Jaeger pilot?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch You in the Drift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [torakowalski](https://archiveofourown.org/users/torakowalski/gifts).



> Thank you, torakowalski, for giving me an opportunity to write this - I really hope you find something to like in this story... Thank you to K-E for brainstorming and lovely enthusiastic e-mails, K for hand-holding and cheerleading, and B for beta-work! I didn't have as much time to edit this as I would have liked, but I hope you enjoy anyway.
> 
> ETA: A formatting error meant AO3 ate all my italics, but the problem has been fixed.

The door of the helicopter swung open with a hydraulic whoosh, and the busy runway slowly revealed itself to Alexander Hamilton's hungry eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to New York Shatterdome!" a grim sergeant yelled above the noise. "Step this way."

He was vibrating with excitement as he ducked and rushed under the propellers. This was it! It was finally happening! He had been unable to think about anything else except for this moment (and all the glorious moments that would follow it) ever since he had first passed the initial testing and been deemed Jaeger pilot material. Now his boots were slapping against the real tarmac, and his lungs were filling up with the actual gasoline-smell in the air of the world's foremost Shatterdome. He sent a face-splitting grin towards his two companions who gave him two equally dazed smiles in return.

The officer led them quickly towards their quarters, guiding them into a nearby building. Someone was wheeling a giant Kaiju head in a jar past him! Alex only gaped for a few seconds, but when he turned back around the officer and his two co-candidates were gone without a trace. Alex turned like a zombie and followed the Kaiju head, which at that moment was boarding an elevator.

He just managed to squeeze in before the doors closed.

"Excuse me, this is a freight elevator! You can't just get in here! Where are you going?" A distorted but clearly exasperated face swam into view on the other side of the glass tank. Alex squinted.

"Oh my god, are you Aaron Burr, sir?!"

The face turned petulant. "That depends. Who's asking?"

Alex crab-walked along the side of the elevator and slipped around the tank. "You probably wouldn't know me!" He grabbed Burr's hand and shook it quite vigorously. "I'm Alexander Hamilton, I've studied your work at Princeton. I published a paper on artificial tissue replication."

Burr studied him doubtfully down the length of his nose. "That was you? That was a pioneering piece of research. Our scientists have found your results very useful for Kaiju application." Alex felt his chest swell with pride. Burr's eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I was working on my doctorate but I tested into the Jaeger program! I wanted to complete my thesis in half the time - just like you did - but then when the International Defense Corps offered me a contract, I really couldn't say no. I mean, the scientific aspects of Kaiju defense is certainly very interesting, but who wouldn't take the opportunity to kick physical Kaiju butt over that any day?" He beamed at Burr.

"Wait a minute. Are you telling me you voluntarily gave up your thesis work to be a Jaeger pilot?" Burr crossed his arms across his chest. "Do you have any idea of the toll Drift takes on your neurological functions? The life expectancy of pilots?"

Alex blinked at him in surprise, seeing his rising agitation, when the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

"Let me show you something," Burr nodded his head towards what lay beyond the door. "Give me a hand with this thing, would you?"

Alex pushed while Burr heaved and together they maneuvered the Kaiju remains into a sprawling lab. Alex gaped and took it all in. Walls filled with monitors running calculations, a labyrinth of Kaiju remains in tanks similar to the one he had helped move, a series of old-fashioned blackboards covered in chalky calculations.

Burr finished pushing the Kaiju head into place and walked a few steps to a mini fridge under a desk and pulled out two soda cans. He passed one to Alex and popped his own open with a nod. Alex responded in kind and opened his own. Burr took a long swallow and gazed around the room before looking back at Alex. "From what I see you are in a unique position. Either you can go on your merry way, have some fun kicking some Kaiju butt as you say, and end your life either in a horrific crash or in a brain bleed. Sure, you may save a few million people before that, but ultimately, events will unfold much the same whether you join the Jaeger program or not. Or, you can go back to your research, get your degree and come back here in a few months' time, ready to work with the best minds in the world on how to end this war once and for all. Ultimately, with your research and my calculations, we just might be able to save mankind."

Alex was taken quite aback by his level of grandeur and for once found himself needing to think about how to reply when the elevator opened and discharged a group of three young men who jogged towards them. "Yo, you Hamilton?" the one in front called out.

Alex found himself shifting his stance to stand more securely. "That's me."

The leader of the pack stopped in front of him and laughed, and Alex felt immediately disarmed. "Man, the whole crew is out looking for you! This is not a place you wanna get lost on your first day." He held out his hand. "I'm John Laurens." Hamilton shook hands and registered with a strange resignation that John Laurens had freckles. He pointed over his shoulder. "This here's Mulligan and Lafayette."

Lafayette nodded, eyelids lazily at half-mast and seeming to size him up, while Mulligan grinned and slapped his shoulder familiarly. "I see you've met the pride of the organization. What you been filling his head with, Burr?"

Burr seemed to physically draw in on himself. "I was just making sure your latest bit of Kaiju fodder didn't wander off a pier. I trust you can take it from here." He turned to go but then looked again at Alex. "It was nice to meet you, Alexander. Think about what I said."

"Uh, nice to meet you too," Alex had the wits to say, even as he was being drawn back towards the elevator by Laurens, with an eager Mulligan nudging him as well and Lafayette hovering somewhere on the edge of his vision.

The four of them piled into the elevator in silence, but as soon as the doors closed the other three burst into various exclamations.

“Maaan, I can’t believe your luck, dude!” Laurens laughed while Mulligan and Lafayette hooted and stomped their feet. Alex thought he genuinely felt the elevator rock with their motions. “First person you run into and it’s stick-up-his-butt-Burr!”

“I think you are all Kaiju-fodder and I couldn’t care less about you,” Lafayette minced. Alex smiled.

“Hey, what’s your score, man?” Laurens asked.

Alex looked at him in surprise at the quick change of topic. “Oh, I got 97%.”

The three others fell entirely quiet and stared at him. “That’s a nearly perfect simulator score! I haven’t heard anyone test above the low 80s,” Laurens said, agape.

“You like a genius or something?” Mulligan stared at him through narrowed eyes.

“Well…” The elevator stopped and they got out on a level unfamiliar to Alex.

“Why were you talking to Burr?” Lafayette asked in a somewhat suspicious tone.

Alex shrugged. “I’ve used some of his work in my own doctorate. I only just started it!” he added when he saw Mulligan’ face. “But then IDC were recruiting, and I mean, I love science, but I think we all have to pull together right now to make sure we put those Kaijus down and make them stay down.”

“Wow,” Laurens said, seeming a little embarrassed as soon as the word was out of his mouth. “I sure hope they don’t put me up against you at the candidate trials!” he laughed, half joking and half uncomfortable.

Alex smiled his smile. “Really? I was kind of hoping they would. I promise that I’d make it interesting."

Laurens stared at him for a beat longer than he should have, before looking at his boots with a wry smile. “Well, in that case…”

Alex didn’t get a proper chance to see whether Laurens’s skin was light enough that he might be blushing, because at that moment the sergeant that had welcomed him to the Shatterdome appeared in front of them. “Thank Otachi you found him!” They were all swept up in his wake and taken to the candidate quarters before Alex had a chance to unpack.

His three new buddies stood right outside his open door, impatiently waiting while Alex hurriedly unpacked his few belongings and made sure everything was tucked away neatly in his locker. He took a moment to splash some water in his face, once again letting the shock of the situation settle on him. But Mulligan and Lafayette were beginning to shuffle restlessly and he could see Laurens studiously not looking into his room through the mirror.

They took him directly to the mess, a giant room that in no way resembled what Alex expected from a military mess hall. The ceiling faded high above them, and stairs led to metal runways and other levels in between. The room was reverberating with voices, even though the place was quite sparsely populated. 

Mulligan unceremoniously shoved a full food tray into his unresisting hands and led the way to an empty table, settling down astride the bench and ravenously digging into his ration. 

"I can't believe I'm here!" Alex exclaimed, taking another look around the place.

"Yeah, it's beginning to show," Lafayette muttered wryly. 

Alex looked at his tray. "Is that bread? I haven't had bread in years. Not since before leaving St Croix!"

Laurens grinned. "Yeah, they take pretty good care of us here." He gave Alex an evaluative glance. "You used to live in the Caribbean?" 

"Yeah!" Alex took a big bite and savored the flavor as it spread across his tongue. "Not a good place to be when giant monsters start coming out of the oceans! My mom died when Kaiceph crossed over into the Gulf of Mexico. I was evacuated to the mainland as an orphan, and then my teachers really liked this poem I wrote about the Breach, so I ended up getting a full ride scholarship..." He noticed the other three staring at him. "Sorry, am I talking too much? I don't really know the proper etiquette for _serious military behavior_ ," he enunciated the last slowly in a low basso but frowned at the same time. 

"It's fine, bro," Mulligan said in an unexpectedly mollifying voice. "I lost my parents too. Same goes for lots of people here. We get it." Alex took a moment to really study Mulligan. He was older than the other two, wider across the shoulders and set like a rock. There was a stridency to him that seemed to dull on further acquaintance. 

"Yeah, I lost my mom, too," Laurens said, quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Alex said.

"My dad's still around, though only for certain values of "around"," Laurens continued. "We don't really see eye-to-eye..."

Alex perked up, "Hey, me too! Only, my dad split when I was a kid, and we don't really stay in touch, so..."

"Yeah, yeah, we're all sob-stories, boo-hoo," Lafayette interrupted, slumping down in his seat and poking listlessly at his mashed potatoes.

Alex turned to where he was sitting next to him, holding out his hand as if presenting a microphone. "And what's your sob story, Monsiuer Lafayette? The public is dying to know!" Lafayette eyed him with distaste. Alex lowered his arm, trying to adopt a placating facial expression.

Lafayette sighed. "I lost my parents. The Kaijus attacked. I left France and came here to join the fight. I just want a world without monsters in it."

Alex pretended to applaud. "Bravo! Well said!" Laurens laughed. "Well, honestly, I think we have a shot! I mean, look at us, here in the new Shatterdome, getting ready to become the best Jaeger pilots yet! We'll kick Kaiju butt!"

"Well, you're certainly feeling sure of yourself," Burr said directly behind him, making Alex jump. He sat down on Alex' free side. "I take it you've been settled in?"

"Yeah!" Alex replied. "Only I'm still waiting for the grand tour; after my quarters we came straight here."

"And it seems you're well on your way to convincing yourself and your new friends that all we need to beat the Kaijus is brute force." Burr started digging into his food.

At the other side of the table Mulligan shifted his considerable weight. "And you're saying it's not?"

Burr glanced at him. "That's exactly what I'm saying. We've been punching these things since they first showed up, and somehow they just keep coming. We need to apply science and strategy to this problem and come up with a permanent solution. Something your co-candidate here could help us with, if he wasn't so eager to get inside a Jaeger."

Alex took a deep breath. "Burr, it's not that I don't appreciate whatever it is the science department is doing to help the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps, it's just that there's no way you're ever going to find a solution that doesn't involve force of some kind."

Burr wagged his finger. "I'm not saying-"

The three others, distinct looks of alarm starting to form on their faces, were spared finding out what Burr wasn't going to say, because at that moment the doors to the mess glided open, and a noticeable current ran through the crowd. Everyone, Burr included, stretched their necks see who had entered.

"Oh, wow!" Laurens whispered, while Lafayette whistled softly and Mulligan gave an impressed grunt. 

"Who is it?" Alex was craning his neck as much as possible but still couldn't make anything out.

"It's the Schuyler sisters," Burr said. "I take it you've heard of them?"

"Duh!" Alex breathed distractedly. 

The three figures had finally made it so far into the room that he could see them. They were all in pilot suits, apparently coming directly from some sort of drill. Alex had seen them hundreds of times in the news. They were relatively new recruits, but the sisters had made a name for themselves quickly, not just for being the first and so far only trio to drift together, but for having done it so well that the IDC had built them a custom-made Jaeger, the Lucky Three. After killing several Kaijus and willingly participating in the international media circus that quite easily arose around the prominent Jaeger pilots, the Schuyler sisters were a household name.

The sisters had procured their food trays, and Angelica Schuyler was now leading the way through the hall towards a table. Burr shot to his feet and blocked her way.

"Ms Schuyler," he smiled.

Angelica gave him a hooded look, "Burr," she replied.

"Perhaps you'd like to join us?" Burr gestured to the table, neatly ignoring the panicky looks on his table mates' faces. "These are some of the newest pilot candidates. We were just discussing the defence strategy of the future."

"Honestly, that sounds entirely too much like work. We've just exited drift." She looked tired and moody. "But I guess I'll see your small friends at the candidate trials tomorrow." She glanced at them and seemed less than impressed before sallying forth, followed closely by Eliza who gave them a kind nod and Peggy who spared them a haughty glare. 

"Give it up, Burr, there's no impressing that one," Lafayette leered.

Burr resumed his seat, and straightened his coat with an insulted impression. "I was most certainly not trying to impress anyone. We're colleagues. We talk."

"Yeah, or you talk, and she shoots you down?" Mulligan grinned.

Burr ignored them in favor of his food. Alex, who had been tracing the path of the Schuylers through the room, turned back to find Laurens looking thoughtfully at him, but he started slightly and turned away when Alex caught him looking. Mulligan and Lafayette picked up a new strand of conversation. Alex waited patiently for Laurens to look back at him and offered him a smile, which he returned beautifully.

* * *

Alex gasped in a great lungful of air, staring down the length of his body in dumb surprise. He fisted his hands, trying to remain calm with his arms held captive close to his sides, and blinked sweat out of his eyes. Then he went limp. There was a grunt of surprise and Laurens' eyes widened comically. It was all the distraction Alex needed to squirm, twist, and slip free of Laurens' slippery grip, quickly climbing on to his back and bearing him down with a secure arm around his neck. Laurens tapped the mat, and Alex rolled off. 

Both Mulligan's delighted "Hah!" and Lafayette's snort of annoyance were drowned out by Charles Lee, the drill instructor yelling, "Again! Hamilton, Mulligan!" 

Alex got to his feet with a groan as Mulligan positively bounced into the ring, a mad grin of delight on his face. They had been at it for hours. Days, it felt like. Alex was tired and sore. He vaguely remembered fighting other people, but they were a blur by now. For the entire afternoon Lee had kept putting Alex, Mulligan, Lafayette, and Laurens up against each other in various permutations. By now he was getting a crazed look around the eyes, as if he was desperately looking for something very specific that none of them were providing. Alex was getting nervous.

When the candidate trials had first started focusing in on the four of them, the other candidates had drifted off, but as word got around that the trials were still going - and apparently entering mythic proportions - a crowd of pilot candidates, tech crew, and seasoned pilots had begun to form inside the door of the Combat Room. But they weren't the reason Alex was getting increasingly nervous. General Washington had been a silent presence at the top of the stairs for the entire day, staring at them intensely and never moving as much as a muscle. It was more than enough to make Alex feel the first pinpricks of panic down his neck. 

Alex could tell that Mulligan was just about to launch across the mat at him, when a clear voice rang out. "Sir! May I?" Everyone turned to stare at Angelica Schuyler, who had joined the crowd with her sisters several hours ago. Alex whipped his head around to see Washington's response. He gestured her forward, face still entirely passive. Alex suppressed a gulp. 

Angelica strode forth, Eliza and Peggy following behind as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She gestured to Lafayette and Laurens, who had been waiting just outside the line on the floor that designated the combat area. They shuffled in to stand in a wavey line next to Alex and Mulligan. A murmur went through the assembled crowd, as if they suspected what was about to happen. 

"They're keeping you at it because they can't find out how you match best," Angelica said in a low tone not meant to carry to the crowd. Alex could swear he saw Washington twitch in his elevated spot beyond her shoulder, but he was too consumed with relief to wonder about it. He had been worried they were getting ready to send them all home! "It's about compatibility," she said in her previous loud and clear voice. "It's a dialogue, not a fight." 

She signalled someone beyond the crowd, and suddenly classical instrumental music suffused the room through unseen speakers high above them. She glided effortlessly into a series of motions, a dance like something out of a period drama, with grand, sweeping gestures and floating steps that seemed to call up an idea of large, billowing dresses. Peggy and Eliza joined her, and they variously came together and separated into their own unique choreographies, always complementing and contrasting each other. Alex watched with rapt attention. They didn't demonstrate for many minutes, and when they came to a perfectly synchronized stop, a low sigh of disappointment seemed to go through their audience.

"Do any of you know how to waltz?" Angelica asked. Alex shook his head, as did both Lafayette and Mulligan. "It's very simple. You're counting threes." She pointed at her feet and demonstrated the steps. Before Alex quite knew what was happening, Angelica Schuyler had her hand on his back and were holding his right arm out, waltzing him slowly across the mat. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Peggy showing Mulligan the steps and Eliza teaching Lafayette to lead. She waltzed him around once and landed him gently in front of Laurens. She looked at John. "You got this?" and John gave a slight nod. 

"Don't try to force it," Angelica called, as Laurens slid his hand into Alex's and let his right hand hover just over the thin layer of his training tank top. Lauren's hand was gentle and dry, warm beneath Alex's own clammy one. 

"You're cold," Laurens said with a slight wrinkle to his brow.

"Getting warmer," Alex grinned, and Laurens rolled his eyes with a smile and led him off into the dance. His confidence surprised Alex, and for a while he was too stunned to do much except follow along, but the steps really were very simple, and it wasn't long before he could anticipate Laurens' movements and turns. "You're good at this, Laurens," he said quietly.

"It's John," he replied with some force. Then he shrugged. "My dad's a snob. I've been taking lessons since I was a kid."

"I bet you never thought you'd be _dancing_ your way into a Jaeger!"

"I never thought I'd be dancing with a guy, either," John said quietly, eyes somber.

Alex felt a curl of heat rise in his stomach, a new kind of nervousness surfacing in him at the serious tone in Laurens' voice. "So how is it?" he asked.

"It's good," John smiled. "Better than I'd hoped."

Hoped? Alex opened his mouth--

"Thank you, gentlemen!" Washington's voice sounded clearly across the music, which stopped almost instantly, cruelly jerking Alex out of the reverie he had found himself in. John brought them to an elegant stop, and as soon as they ceased moving, Alex felt how dizzy he had become by the constant turning of the dance. "I think I've seen enough. Get some rest and report for neural handshake bright and early. Hamilton and Laurens, and Mulligan and Lafayette." 

Alex stared dumbly at John, who was still resting his hand at the small of his back like the perfect dance partner he was. Some several steps away across the matt Lafayette and Mulligan looked equally as stunned and exhausted at this sudden end to their trials. 

At the top of the steps Washington turned and left. The crowd by the door immediately began to disperse as well, Lee storming towards it without a second glance at them. The Schuylers all looked at them with identical looks of satisfaction. Alex went to put on his boots, comfortably knocking shoulders with Mulligan along the way. 

They were just leaving the combat room to the Schuyler sisters, who were starting their music back up again, when Alex accidentally collided with a straggler who had been hanging back to wait for the last people to clear the door. 

"Sorry," he said affably, still mellow from the waltz.

"Watch it, newbie!" the stranger sneered with so much resentment that Alex took an involuntary step back. "Show your superiors some respect."

"Who are you?" Alex said, genuinely confused by the man's animosity.

"Sam Seabury," he replied, puffing up. "I pilot the Flight with Charles Lee." 

Something about the guy made Alex want to needle him. "Oh. I've never heard of you."

Seabury's eyes flashed. "Just because you've been made quite the spectacle of yourself doesn't mean you're better than the rest of us!"

"Maybe not, but I'm sure I'm better than you on my worst day," Alex replied, stepping firmly into Seabury's space.

"Alex!" John exclaimed behind him, in obvious consternation.

Seabury removed his eyes from Alex to give John a disdainful look. "Better rein in your girlfriend, little gentleman," he said to him. "We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Tear him apart!" Alex heard Mulligan's voice in the background, but he had already launched himself at Seabury, throat contracting with anger and palms itching to curl into fists. He got a good solid martial arts kick in, but Seabury's fist caught him in the nose, and then they were tumbling on the ground, Alex grappling to wrestle him into a hold while Seabury was mercilessly aiming his elbow at his kidney. 

A door opened with a screech. "What is this? Stop it right now!" Washington sounded absolutely thunderous. 

Alex pushed Seabury off him with as much force as possible and staggered to his feet with a scowl. He felt lousy. 

"Hamilton, inside!"

"But, sir!"

"The rest of you, go to your quarters and clean up!"

Alex caught Seabury's smirk and the unfairness of the whole situation burned through him. Lafayette and Mulligan both slunk away slowly, but John kept standing in the same spot, looking indecisive. 

"You too, Laurens," Washington said, in a much gentler tone.

John gave him a long look, which Alex couldn't help but return for a moment, before nodding very slightly in defeat. John seemed to let out a breath and turned away to follow the others. Alex turned apprehensively towards Washington, not quite daring to meet the general's gaze. He held the door open and Alex skulked into the office beyond.

"I expected more from you, young man," Washington said once the door had closed.

"With all due respect, sir, Seabury started it!"

Washington ignored this. "I will not have my pilots fighting each other like schoolboys." He didn't say anything else.

"No, sir."

"Whatever it was, you will have to learn to get along with Seabury. You will be expected to cooperate with him in combat situations, and I can't have petty personal vendettas get in the way."

 

"Of course not, sir. I understand. It won't happen again."

"Why are you here, Hamilton?" That made Alex look up in surprise. "I've seen your transcripts. By all rights you should be joining Burr's team, not putting your life on the front lines."

Alex stiffened. "Sir, you've seen me all day in the Combat Room. If you don't believe I can handle it--"

"At ease, son." Washington stepped closer. "I'm not casting aspersions on your combat skills. I know your simulator score as well as you do. But I talked to Burr and he made some compelling points."

Alex paced a tight circle around the room. "Sir, please don't let Aaron Burr dictate my place in this endeavor. I am more than willing to pitch in, but I need to do it out there!"

Washington didn't look surprised. "And why is that, Mr Hamilton?" When Alex didn't reply he continued. "It wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with your mother's death?" Alex stared angrily at his boots. "Before I deploy you, I expect a guarantee that you will follow all orders and never let your emotions run away with you, the way you just did out there."

Alex glanced up, setting his shoulders firmly. "General Washington, I am at your command. I will not let you down, sir!"

Washington clapped a hand on his shoulder. "The real test is tomorrow. The first drift is intense. Young Laurens will be inside your mind. You think you understand what that means now, but until you've tried it you have no clue. After tomorrow he will know everything there is to know about you, and you about him." He paused, giving Alex a significant look. "If there's anything that might surprise him, I recommend you clear the air before going in." Alex stared. "Dismissed, son."

* * *

Alex was shivering as he made his way back to his private quarters. It had been an exhausting day, and Washington had given him a lot to think about. He mulled over his options while showering and dressing and then went in search of John. 

He wasn't in his own room, but neither were Mulligan and Lafayette. The latter two he found in the mess hall where they were eating ravenously from several trays at once. He fell into a seat next to them and tucked in more quietly. Lafayette paused his consumption of grilled vegetables long enough to ask, "Washington chew you out?"

Alex shrugged. "It was fine. Did you see John?"

Mulligan shook his head. "We didn't see him after we split up at our quarters. Figured he went back to wait for you."

Alex finished his food quickly, not really feeling hungry despite the long work-out. He doubled back to their rooms, but John hadn't showed up. He wandered the levels for a while before giving it up for a lost cause. John probably just needed some space before the drift tomorrow. Best to let him have it, and they'd see each other soon enough anyway. 

He was still too keyed-up to go to bed, so Alex kept wandering aimlessly, eventually getting it into his head that he wanted to see the Jaegers before the big day tomorrow. He knew better than to go in at ground level, suspecting he wouldn't be welcome in among the machinery and constant repair work going on around the giant robots. He took the elevator up several levels and made his way around the enormous Jaeger hangar. 

"John?" Alex felt a rush of excitement go through him. It felt incredible to know that he had only known John Laurens for some 48 hours, and he already felt that he would recognize him anywhere. John turned from his seat on the bridge, feet dangling into the 30-foot drop below him, surprise writ large across his face. Alex hesitated, feeling both pleased and nervous at unexpectedly finding John here of all places. "Can I join you?"

"Of course." There was something somber about John as he moved over a symbolic couple of inches to make room for Alex. He rested his arms on the bottom rung of the safety rail and put his head on top of them, steady gaze trained on Alex, who shifted in discomfort and looked across the hangar at the Jaeger there. At the moment The Freedom was still and dark, only a spark of a welder's iron glancing along the side of its left hip joint. 

"I can't believe we're finally here now," Alex breathed. 

"Yeah," John said, a warmth in his voice. "Tomorrow I'll see you in the drift."

He sounded so young and pleased and eager that Alex felt a pang. He turned impulsively and was met by John's large, bright eyes. For a moment he was entirely arrested by that kind, open gaze, but then panic started to rise in him again. "There's something I need to say."

At that John laughed. "What could you possibly need to say to me? Tomorrow I'll know everything you're thinking without you having to say a word!"

"I know! That's the problem!" Alex agonised. "I think I need to tell you this before that happens."

"Okay." John sat up straighter, gaze still trained attentively on him. Alex took a big gulp of a breath.

"Laurens," he exploded. "I like you a _lot_." He looked away. "I'm not usually such a klutz about this, but I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by everything, and I didn't want you to find out in the drift, in case you were surprised. I mean, I don't think you'd be surprised, but I know a bit of flirting doesn't necessarily mean anything, and I may have been punched for coming onto straight guys before - not that I've come onto a lot of guys before, but I mean, not like I've never made out with... but I guess you'll know all about that too, won't you? And--" He stopped when a hand touched his knee.

"Alexander," John smiled. "I like you too. You can stop talking now."

"Oh!" Alex glanced from the hand and back to John's face. "So you're not surprised?"

"You haven't exactly been subtle. I didn't think I had been either."

Alex smiled. "Well. As I said, you never really know."

"You know about me."

"Yes."

Alex couldn't stop staring, and apparently John couldn't stop smiling. Alex felt his own mouth twitch in something that might look like a smile or perhaps a nervous stroke. John huffed a quiet laugh and moved closer to put his head on Alex' shoulder.

* * *

Alex barely slept a wink and was up bright and early, eating freshly made breakfast with only a few other early risers, some of whom gave him a knowing look. He was up by the Connection Pod bay hours ahead of time, reporting for duty, and the tech crew was very indulgent of his eagerness and kindly helped him adjust his drivesuit for best effect. They even took a few moments to answer his questions until one kindly informed him that he was welcome to stay and observe _quietly_. Alex zipped his lips and opened his eyes wide. 

He was so absorbed in all the preparations going on around him that he didn't notice Washington and the chief technician entering the Command Center. Washington exchanged a few words with the tech crew at hand before nodding to his chief and coming over to Alex. 

"Hamilton, ready to try the drift?"

Alex nodded eagerly.

"It's very different from the simulations you've tried. Real drift, with another person, can be quite a shock, both to your neurological system and your emotional wellbeing. The trick is to let your thoughts flow by. Do not engage, just let them pass." 

Alex was spared further sermonizing on a topic he had already been well-briefed on when the doors opened again to admit John into the bay. "Laurens!" Alex called, hailing him over. His black drivesuit was glistening and new, and he looked bright-eyed and eager. "You look hot!" 

John smiled. "You really think so?"

"I guess you'll find out exactly what I think in a couple of minutes." Alex winked, making John laugh and Washington cough.

They were led into the Connection Pod itself and stepped onto the pilot rig platforms behind the eye-windows of the Jaeger head. A team of technicians followed behind to connect the feedback cables to their suits. Alex put his helmet on and a tech hooked him into the pilot interface system that would let them control the giant Jaeger body. The holographic info display, which he knew intimately from the sim, sprang to life in front of his eyes. When everything was in place and had been double-checked, the techs all trekked back out of the pod leaving Alex and John to stare at each other from each their rig. 

"Command center here, do you read me?" came Washington's voice through the helmet speakers directly into his ear. Both John and Alex answered affirmatively. "Reynolds, please run the pre-drift link analysis."

A moment passed. "Pre-drift link analysis complete, sir," came a new voice in his ear. "Everything looks right." The voice seemed to brighten. "You boys ready to drift?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Alex grinned.

"Engage drop, Ms Reynolds," Washington ordered. 

There was a clank and an odd screeching noise, and then the floor underneath the Conn-Pod subtracted, letting the pod drop through the hydraulically controlled shaft onto the neck of the Jaeger robot itself. The pod shook and bobbed, and Alex and John struggled to remain upright in the riggings. The connectors settled with metallic booms, and the pilot pod was in place.

LOCKED flashed across Alex's display. 

"All right, boys?" came Reynolds' voice.

"All right," John confirmed.

"Freedom, this is your commander," Washington said. "Prepare for neural handshake."

"Neural handshake starting in 10, 9, 8..." Reynolds' voice counted calmly.

"This is it!" Alex said, wishing it had come out more excited and less quivering.

John nodded. "See you in the drift."

The words had barely entered Alex's ears before an entirely new rush of sensation tore through him, and they exploded into drift space.

_Two-three-chacha-one. Don't start on the one, John, start on the two_

_John's mom is sick, but his dad never talks about it. She coughs and coughs, and then she gives him a watery smile_

_Alex's mom screams_

__The sun is shining down from a perfect blue sky, the leaves of the palm trees whispering stories to him_ _

The Swiss sky outside the boarding school is grey and dull and John aches to go home, but he doesn't know where that is any longer

_Alex is sitting in a lecture hall in King's College and for the first time he feels like the world is keeping pace with him, like he even has to strain ever so slightly to catch up. His mind is like a young colt let out to pasture, finally free to run_

_Run, run, don't let them catch you crying, John, don't let them_

_Alex is curled up snug in his dormitory bed, warm and safe under the covers, Robert's breath ghosting wetly across his cheek. Have you ever_

_She is smiling brightly and prettily at him and the next moment she is planting a delicate kiss on his cheek, surprising the breath out of John who_

"Neural handshake at 100%." Reynolds' voice brought Alex back to the present. "Well done, boys. Now, just take it slow and easy."

At the other side of the pod John was panting in his suit, and he was trying to think of green things, fresh things, trying not to gag. 

"Hey!" Alex exclaimed, and John, who glanced over, knew what he was going to say the second before he said it. "I'm inside your mind!"

_Just wait until I can pull the car over John, don't throw up in the_

_Alex had never been on a plane before, but he wasn't feeling any excitement, he was barely feeling anything at all_

"It's just like the sim, guys. Steady does it," Reynolds advised.

Alex knew the Jaeger simulator, had seen his own brain calibrate with the artificial computer mind and the two images mesh on the holoscreen in front of him numerous times. This was absolutely nothing like that. He could feel John, feel him inside his thoughts, delving into his darkest dreams and deepest secrets, and at the exact same moment he felt himself scrambling through John's thoughts like a dog tearing through fallen leaves, impressions and memories scattering wildly around them. He had to get a grip, they had to slow down, but he didn't know how and he felt panic rising but he couldn't tell whose it was, his or John's.

John. He had to find John. They had to settle in the present. John

_John glancing down at his boots, long dark lashes fanning over his freckled cheeks_

_John resting his head on his arms and smiling at him, a Jaeger sparking to life behind him_

_Alex with his neck bared by his ponytail, sweat curling the stray loose hairs, skin soft and inviting above the white of the tank top_

_Sweat and that same sense of panic, but worse. So much worse. It was so much worse. His mom screamed. There was a sound that his brain couldn't process at first, not thunder, not a hurricane. He only saw one giant foot, claws protruding like hooks from each toe. It began to rain but it wasn't rain; it was salt water dripping down from high above him, and he craned his neck back to see_

"Alexander!" came Washington's voice across the comm. "Do not chase the rabbit. Let your memories go! Do not engage with them."

_They craned their necks back to see the monster tower above them. "Alex?" John shouted, but he couldn't answer. It was so tall that this close it was impossible to see its head, like a skyscraper you can't see the top of when you're standing right next to it. Alex and John got vertigo just looking up at it. The sound came again, and he distantly understood that it must be its cry, vibrating unsettlingly through him_

"Neural handshake slipping, sir! They are out of alignment!" Reynolds shouted. Alex could see the danger signals flaring across the displays, alarms ringing through his ears, but he wasn't there, he wasn't in New York, in the Shatterdome, in the Jaeger, he was...

_The salt water stung his eyes but he couldn't look away_

"Alex!" John shouted. 

_"Alex!" his mom shouted. "Alex, you need to run, come on baby, we need to get under cover, we--" One moment she was there and the next she was gone, torn away from him by some motion too quick for him to follow. He screamed. John screamed. His heart broke as if it was happening right this moment, as if he had not revisited this moment in his nightmares for the past ten years of his life. John was crying. Or was it him? Was he crying? What was he doing? He needed to breathe, he needed to run. "Alex! Alex!" someone was gripping his shoulders, blocking his view. He blinked in confusion. He knew him but he didn't know him. "We're in your memory. It's just a flashback. You need to get back in control! Listen to me, Alex, listen to my voice. Don't look at it, look at me, look at me." Alex looked at John, stared into his eyes, heart pounding, salt raining down on him, his mom... His mom was gone. His mom had been gone for years. He knew this. He had something important to do. "That's it! Come back now." He had to snap out of it. He had to get this under control or Washington would never let him into a Jaeger again. He gasped in a huge breath of stale drivesuit air and_

The present reasserted itself around him. His heart was pounding, but he was in control again. His palms were clammy, but he could feel the spring of the pilot rig under his boots, could read the computer feedback on the display, see the neural handshake glide back into alignment.

"I think that's enough," Washington said. "Disengage, pilots."

Alex sighed in defeat, and felt John's matching disappointment and apprehension. 

"Don't worry about it," Reynolds said kindly. "Let's bring it back up, boys." 

They went through the motions of disengaging the ConnPod from the Jaeger, hitting the controls and giving the various commands that had them zooming back up the chute and settling into the pod bay. They were both feeling shaky, Alex with a distinct edge of embarrassment and John with concern. Just before they disengaged the neural handshake there was a rush of emotion from John, and then he was alone in his head again.

Alex was wresting his boots out of the rig, not quite calm enough remember to twist just right, when the tech crew came back through the door and quietly started to free him of the links and wires attached to the back of his suit. He tore off his helmet and tried not to gasp for breath. He was deliberately not looking at John, although he sensed somehow (in a way completely different from the way he had known what John was doing just a minute ago) that he was desperately trying to catch his eye across the heads of the busy technicians. 

"Alex, don't you dare--" There was a final click and a whoosh as the last link disengaged from his drivesuit, and Alex was headed towards the door without a second thought.

But he was not moving fast enough. "No way, man!" John caught him by the wrist, and as Alex was whirled around he had just enough presence of mind to be thankful for how studiously the crew were ignoring them. They were probably used to dramatic pilots by now, he thought a little wildly. 

John was gazing intently at him as he came around. "Don't put this on yourself."

"Then who am I supposed to put it on?" Alex spread his arms wide, but John didn't let go of his wrist. "Was it your flashback that almost caused us to tank an entire Jaeger?"

"If that had been my flashback I wouldn't even be here!" Alex looked at him in surprise, and knew he'd made a mistake the minute their eyes met. "Alex, you are in a _Shatterdome_! You're piloting a Jaeger! I've seen where you grew up. I've seen you survive." They both winced. "The initiative is lucky to have you. _I'm_ lucky to have you, as my co-pilot." Alex gripped his other wrist in return and squeezed. "Don't let it get to you," John concluded quietly. "Let's just keep going until the job is done."

Alex nodded and reached for him and then they were embracing tightly. For a moment he remembered John's father hugging him stiffly before he turned on the steps of the boarding school and left hurriedly. Alex squeezed his eyes shut for a second, breathed in the suddenly familiar and yet brand new scent of John and then let go. John gave him a watery, encouraging kind of smile and pulled him along towards the door.

In the Command Center Washington was waiting for them. Alex didn't suppose he would have been lucky enough that the commander would have had better things to do. He suppressed a sigh and tried to stand up straighter, but then Reynolds intercepted just before Washington could speak.

"Do _not_ worry about it, Hamilton," she strode over to meet them, cutting in front of Washington without even a glance. "First drift can be rough. I've seen the most excellent pilots get lured off by the white rabbit. You'll do much better next time." She grabbed them both by a shoulder and shook them. "Now you know each other, and you know what to expect." Washington cleared his throat pointedly. Reynolds cast a cool glance over her shoulder. "Did you want to add anything, sir?"

Washington glared for a moment before visibly giving up, practically scowling at the three of them. "No, thank you, chief officer Reynolds, I think that's all for now. You can go." She made to push Alex and John ahead of her towards the exit. "Just you, Reynolds."

She gave them an apologetic shrug and continued on without them, and Alex and John turned to face the commander. 

Just at that moment the siren began to blare. 

"Kaiju attack!" Reynolds shouted, spurting back towards the computers. 

"Who's on call?" Washington followed her back towards the console.

"The Flight and Lucky Three, sir." Reynolds was already pulling up various readings on her screens.

"Get the pilots suited up."

"Yes, sir." She was already activating the calls. 

Alex took a step forward and felt John mirror the motion. "Sir, Laurens and I are already suited up."

Washington glanced at them. "Mr Hamilton, in case you forgot, you've just had a traumatic flashback and a less than stellar first drift. You need more training before you deploy."

"But, sir--"

"Not another word, Hamilton, or I'll have you removed!"

Alex snapped his mouth shut. 

Reynolds motioned to them. "Get over here and observe. You might learn something. I'm calling this one King." She grinned. "Best fringe benefit in the world."

"Lucky Three are suiting up," came Eliza Schuyler's voice over the room's comm.

"Glad you could join us, ladies, we have a Category Three for you this afternoon. Tag-team with the Flight," Reynolds replied without missing a beat.

Burr tore through the door, panting heavily. "Are we under attack?"

"A Category Three," Washington replied.

Burr stared at Washington. "Sir, if that's true, it means my second model is proving right!" 

"Remind me of that one again," Washington said, turning back to the screens.

"The second model predicts an increase in attack intervals and conjectures a double event!" They all stared at him.

"Burr, we need to be absolutely sure before we call on outside help," Washington said carefully.

Burr crossed the room and activated an unused row of computers. "According to my calculations the Kaiju have been conforming to a set pattern of appearances."

Reynolds kept busy by the main control panel, keeping in constant contact with the Jaeger pilots as they suited up and rushed to their separate Control Pods. Alex drifted slightly towards Burr who had procured a large piece of paper and was scribbling furiously. He looked up as Alex got nearer. 

"These are the data of the previous Kaiju attacks. Their categories and the times of their appearances." He poked his finger furiously at the list. "These are the intervals. Based on the past attacks, I have been able to accurately predict the last three attacks within a 24-hour-margin. The calculations state that either the single attacks would increase in frequency or the frequency would remain relatively stable but the number of Kaijus would increase by one at a rate of 8.13."

Alex looked over the numbers, feeling a chill creep down his spine. "You need to do the math again, including the present attack and adjust your data set. We need to be sure!"

Burr stared at him, a wild expression in his eyes, then he bent back over the paper and started scribbling again.

"Lucky Three is engaged," Angelica reported.

"The Flight is engaged," Lee chimed in shortly after.

"Air lifts are ready, sir," Reynolds said.

"Let's go out and meet it," Washington said. "Engage air lifts."

Outside the Shatterdome dual sets of helicopters rose into the air and started slowly lifting the Jaegers into the air. On the screen view of the outside of the Shatterdome they could see the enormous war robots swing like grotesque marionettes from their wires underneath the transport choppers. On the radar screen the Jaeger signals and the Kaiju one moved inexorably towards each other.

"Flight, we'll take point," Angelica said. 

"Be our guest," Lee replied. "We'll have your back."

The two sets of signals came together on the screen.

"We are in the water," Angelica reported. "We do not have a visual."

"Lucky Three, be advised the Kaiju is three clicks out and closing," Reynolds said.

One of the transport helicopters hung back, now functioning as eyes on the scene, transmitting a grainy image of Lucky Three towering above the ocean's surface. Suddenly the water broke up into a violent froth of white, and a vaguely shark-looking Kaiju erupted, roaring, into the air. Lucky Three immediately stepped forward and punched it.

"It adds up!" Burr shouted, throwing his pen across the room in agitation. Everyone in the room turned towards him in surprise. 

"Then where is the second Kaiju?" Alex answered and gestured towards the radar, where the three signals were blinking slowly and steadily, two green Jaegers and one red Kaiju. The signals blinked out of existence again. When they blinked back in, there were two red dots instead of one... "Shit!"

"Dammit," Reynolds cried. "I'm calling you George, you little shit!"

"Attention, pilots," Washington said without a second's hesitation. "Be advised, we have a double event. I repeat, we have a double event!"

"We hear you, Commander," Angelica replied across the comm. 

"We have a what?" Lee broke in, panicked. "There are two of them?"

On the camera feed Lucky Three was systematically going at the King Kaiju. It was sent thrashing back into the water. It got up again, roaring in apparent anger and then took a step back, then another. Lucky Three made to follow when another Kaiju burst up out of the waves directly in front of it, barrelling into the Jaeger with such force that they both went down. King started advancing towards The Flight, which backed up.

"Flight, engage immediately," Washington called. "Stay close to Lucky Three."

"The Flight's neural handshake is out of alignment, sir," Reynolds reported. 

"Lee, report!" 

But Lee didn't respond to Washington's command.

Lucky Three was still pinned down by George, which attacked with double, saw-like mandibles spread wide. "Back-up would be nice!" Angelica shouted. "Where the hell is Lee?"

There was a familiar alarm sound and the brain imaging of the Flight's neural handshake slipped into two separate images. In the background of the chopper camera's grainy image the Flight went dark. "Commander, they're off-line," Reynolds said in frustration. "Flight, stand by for re-calibration ASAP."

Alex couldn't contain himself any longer. "Sir, send us in."

"No," Washington replied shortly.

"Sir, we're the only other pilot team already suited up."

"You're not ready, Alexander."

"The Schuylers need our assistance. Waiting for another team to get ready will lose us precious minutes!"

The camera feed showed Lucky Three finally get up from under the second Kaiju, but it was listing dangerously to the side, a plate on its shoulder hanging loose. The other Kaiju was starting to move towards the coast.

"Reynolds, evacuate the city!" Washington called. His hands curled into fists. "Hamilton and Laurens - get out there."

Alex did not have to be told twice. He took off at a run, John close behind him. The techs were at their heels, and while their first time hooking into the Jaeger had been measured and with attention on every detail, this time they got to feel the lightning-fast efficiency of the tech team. They were rigged in in a matter of minutes. Their second slide down the pod shaft felt like the world dropping out from under Alex entirely, but he stayed perfectly balanced in his rig. His pulse was running counterpoint to Reynolds' calm countdown to the neural handshake.

_This time when they met in the drift it was like coming home. It felt like running towards John and then suddenly being caught up in a whirlwind, changing directions entirely, but they kept running, together now, memories and feelings and impressions zooming past them much too quickly to follow. They had somewhere important they needed to be_

Alex crashed back into full presence to the sound of Reynolds' pleased voice announcing, "Neural handshake strong and holding. Freedom, you are ready for airlift."

On the Jaeger's main display Alex pulled up the live feed of Lucky Three, which was still held up by George. By now King had made its way around The Flight, which seemed to be undergoing a series of malfunctions, stopping and starting interchangeably. Alex felt his own eagerness to join in the fray mirrored exactly in John.

They dropped as close to the Kaiju as the helicopters could manage so as to safely disengage and get away before the fighting broke out. Alex pulled his arm back and felt the strangely exhilarating sensation of both seeing and feeling John do the same. The crunch of metal meeting Kaiju flesh was the most satisfying feeling in the world, and Alex crowed in pleasure.

The Kaiju roared in anger and made to tackle them, but John's instincts had them stepping easily to the side, putting them in a good position to land a hard blow across the Kaiju's neck. 

"Let's get this over with as quick as possible!" Alex shouted. They engaged Freedom's plane-sized chainsaw and aimed it at King's neck, but the monster twisted unexpectedly, shooting blue acid at the ConnPod, momentarily throwing their systems out of sync. They staggered, and the Kaiju moved in closer, shark mouth gnashing wildly towards them. 

"Dammit!" Angelica's voice shouted in their ears. "It's getting away!" Alex spared a second to glance at the camera feed where a smoking Lucky Three slowly gave chase to a white blur moving just under the ocean's surface. On the radar screen George's red dot started moving inexorably towards shore.

Alex felt himself move, knew that John was already working with him. They activated the Freedom's guns and fired at King, but the Kaiju merely cried out in pain and continued its advance towards them.

"Command, this is the Flight. We are back online," came Lee's now determined voice.

The helicopter feed's controller seemed to have had the same idea as Alex, and the camera panned to get the Flight in view. It blinked back online on the radar screen as well. The advancing King Kaiju almost seemed to hear its engines come back to life and turned slowly, as if also scouting for the Flight. It began to stride away from Freedom.

"Hey, we were in the middle of something!" Alex called and made to follow it. "Flight, you're about to get company!"

They heard Lee swear across the comm.

Alex was looking at the radar screen, which is why he noticed George stopping in its advance towards land. "Command, are you seeing the other one?" He stared in disbelief as the second Kaiju seemed to pause in the water and then turn back towards its buddy.

"We see it!" Burr replied across the comm.

"How did it do that?" Alex wondered, brain working furiously. 

"Echolocation?" Burr sounded less than sure. "Whales use echolocation to--" 

"Tell me your systems aren't picking up ultrasounds," Alex scoffed. 

"It might be a different--" Burr gave an explosive sigh at Alex's derisive snort. "Fine, Hamilton, just say it!"

"Say what?" Washington interrupted with frustration.

"I think they're... linked. Like us." Alex glanced at John, who stared at him with a spooked expression.

"Alex, there isn't time for this!" Burr protested.

"Are you logging everything?!" Alex asked desperately, torn between the readings, his theory, and the instinct to fight.

"Of course! Get your head back in the present!"

Alex shifted his attention to the radar imaging. The two Kaijus were aligned now, streaking towards the Flight. "Shit," Alex called. "Don't panic, Flight, but they're coming right at you."

"Flight, remain calm," Washington admonished. "Move towards open sea immediately."

"I can't!" Lee cried. "We have to get out--"

The Flight started moving towards the shore. 

Washington cursed. "Reynolds, can you take them offline?"

"Sir! But that would make them sitting targets--"

"It's two or millions, officer."

Alex shivered. The Kaijus were caught up to the Flight and did not hesitate before tearing into it. Lucky Three seemed to have regained full control and was striding towards the scene, but Freedom was a lot closer. They raised their guns again and fired directly into the back of the nearest Kaiju. King cried out in pain and listed to the side, but turning slowly to face them. They fired again, all the while striding closer until the screaming Kaiju was right in front of them. They extended their gun arm directly into its glowing blue mouth and pulled the trigger, watching the head split into torn lumps and the giant thrash limply into the waves.

"Hah!" Alex cried. "Command, we have one down..."

"Freedom, on your left!" Angelica warned, but they didn't have time to turn before an enormous set of teeth tore into their left arm. The drivesuits' synaptic circuitry transferred the readings on the outside of the Jaeger's hull directly into their brains, affecting their nervous system as if the injury had happened to them physically. Alex and John cried out in pain. The system sent a series of warnings across the helmet's display. 

_A broken leg, snow cold under John's mitted hands_

_Alex's mom kissing the skinned palm of his hands as tears burned in his eyes_

Alex gritted his teeth, and together they raised the Jaeger's right arm and fired towards the Kaiju, but the shot went wide. The Kaiju moved in again, dodging under their good arm and tearing its claws across the center of their chest. They felt the robot start to lose its balance, their legs bending unnaturally back at the knees until their own weight bore them down. 

Freedom went under the surface entirely. The loss of balance caused the pilot rigs to swing and bounce wildly, tearing further at their legs which were already burning from the synaptic feedback. George had followed them under, apparently not the least deterred by the lack of oxygen to its system. Its widely spreading jaws kept snapping at them, and they raised their arms instinctively to ward it off. 

Pain tore through Alex's mind, leaving only darkness behind.

_He was swimming in a warm ocean, kids laughing around him_

_John was dancing and he knew the steps. It was easy and everything fell into place_

_Alex was swirling through the steps of the waltz, John's hand warm at his back, the Combat Room around them fading into nothing_

_John looked up from his lonely seat in the Jaeger bay and felt a pang of hopefulness go through him at the sight of Alex there_

_He was trapped somewhere dark. An alarm was sounding far off, but he couldn't move their arm to turn it off. They tossed their head and pain lanced through them again. He wanted to scream but they didn't have a voice. They were in the void and there was no way out_

_Alex's mom was singing to him, calmly and comfortingly, her motions lulling him warmly to sleep_

_"You can't go to sleep!" they shouted. John. He was John. John was in him, next to him. "Alex, stay with me!" He felt so heavy. He needed to open his eyes, but he didn't have any. "Alex, don't do this to me, don't...!" Alex was crying. No, John was crying. He wanted to reach out, to touch him, hold him closer, comfort him like his mother had used to comfort him. "Alex, please." John sounded tired and small, he was on the verge of giving up, so tired himself_

_"No, don't. Come here..." He motioned again, but nothing happened_

Alex opened his eyes. The ConnPod was dark around them, but the pain had stopped.

"Freedom, do you copy?" came Reynolds' desperate voice.

"We copy," John said in relief, eyes closing, head sagging. "Could do with some help, though."

The Freedom gave a lurch, and the machinery crunched and whined ominously around them. "We got that nasty George off you. Anything else we can do for you, Freedom?" Angelica asked across the comm, as the chopper feed transmitted Lucky Three slowly hauling them upright out of the water, the dead Kaiju slipping off them in process. 

"Well," Alex said. "I think we've malfunctioned..." They tried stepping forward, but Freedom did not respond. "We might need a ride, ladies."

"That can be arranged," Angelica laughed.

"Sir, permission to disengage?" 

"Go ahead, Freedom. We'll see you all back here right away," Washington replied calmly.

Alex barely heard the words, already tearing his helmet off and wrenching his boots out of the rig. On the other side of the pod John was doing the same. They met in the middle of the floor, closing the short distance behind them, the links and wires pulling Alex slowly back towards his own rig. They grabbed each other's hands, and John winced as Alex pulled on his injured arm, Alex realizing it had been John's pain he'd felt all along. They didn't stop scrambling to get close enough, and then their lips finally touched. John breathed a quiet sigh into his mouth, and Alex licked delicately at his lower lip, tasting carefully for the first time. John's good hand wound into his hair and tugged, trying to get him closer, but his foot slipped and they slid indelicately apart, laughing in frustration and relief. 

The safety door at the top of the pod unhinged with a clatter and they looked up into Eliza's and Angelica's dubious faces. 

"What a mess you guys have made down here," Angelixa called.

"Were you... kissing?" Eliza said in evident indignation. 

John laughed. "Sorry, Schuyler, but we're not the ones drifting with our sisters."

"Families who drift together stay together," Eliza replied primly and dropped down into the pod to unlink them. 

* * *

The world looked different after a drift, Alex had already experienced. The world after a Kaiju kill was even stranger. He had expected to feel invigorated, avenged, but he felt only bone weary.

The Shatterdome felt oddly quiet as the five of them exited the Lucky Three's control pod and joined the command center. His legs felt rubbery, but he kept close to John, who was cradling his left arm gingerly. Lafayette and Mulligan had gotten in, looking wide-eyed and silently at them. Mulligan slapped Alex on the shoulder as he passed, and then had to right him when he almost lost his balance.

Washington stepped towards them. "Laurens, Hamilton, that was well done."

Alex grinned. "I thought so. Well, except for the bit where we passed out from pain."

"At least you waited to check out until _after_ you killed the Kaiju," Angelica said tartly. 

Washington gave her a quelling stare. "I'll deal with Lee later. I'm just proud you handled yourselves so well. Thanks to you we had a double event with no civilian casualties."

"But we had a double event. And the Kaijus might be able to drift," Alex said quietly, looking at Burr, who looked solemnly back at him.

"I know," Washington replied. "We have a lot of work to do, but for now, you need a check-up and time to convalesce. All five of you report to medical."

The Schuylers turned silently and made for the door. 

"Come on, Laurens," Alex said, gently slinging an arm around him. "Let's get our check-up so we can check out for a while."

"Mm, sounds nice," John hummed.

"And then..."

"Alex, no."

"I'm gonna check you out for myself. Thoroughly."

John groaned but hid a smile against Alex's shoulder.

**Author's Note:**

> I had absoloutely no plans to write longfic for Yuletide, but then this damn plot bunny showed up and refused to leave. I guess thematically this is more like Act I of two, but I truly ran out of time :/ I hope it stands well enough on its own as it is... 
> 
> And in all fairness I could not have written all that tech babble without using Travis Beacham's Pacific Rim novel as a cheat sheet.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
